Video: Phil Spencer & Bobby Kotick Discuss The Future Of Activision Blizzard Under Xbox

I wonder if any of my the overnight antitrust law and monopoly experts saw the last part of this video. No no one is anywhere near a monopoly in the gaming industry.

Job security, salary increases, safe environment are just a few of what the employees want. I’m hoping Phil can actually sit down with the teams and meet their needs. The bar is very low for improving conditions at Activision Blizzard, there’s a decade’s worth of videos and complaints of current and former employees about how bad it is. Phil needs to go above and beyond for them, and we should all hope he delivers.

I am beyond excited here. My favorite franchise (call of duty) under the stewardship of a morally responsible company is music to my ears.

Thousands of employees... billions of gamers. I'm most interested what Microsoft/ABK can do for me and the consumer.

@Krzzystuff everyone on Push Square became F. Lee Bailey yesterday 😂😂

Kotick is one big slimeball

@icomma So gamers aren't humans and haven't been treated like garbage? Not sure where you are gong with this. Lives have been ruined by the predatory and addictive nature of games like Candy Crush. This isn't the Oppression Olympics. I'm just saying I care more about the collective of billions than I do a few thousand. Also, a lot of the abuse that has been going on there have been committed by the employees themselves.

@themightyant yeah I'm not looking liking how a lot of folks are talking about metaverse and all that crud

@themightyant do true..... Has anyone even explained what exactly they even mean by metaverse? I saw Satya, zuck, everyone explain it, and best I can tell it's a synonym of "synergy" and "leveraging or strengths"

@NEStalgia pretty sure it's a game for corporations to harvest as much from us as possible. It's not sounding like something that we should support.

Kotick's face at 1m40s when she mentions Activision's shares being down - that phony smile falls from his face.
Yes Bobby, that was down to the company culture you oversaw and were a part of.
What a POS.

This summed it up from Phils own announcement that went up on Major Nelson's site.

As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.

That basically acknowledges the issues and allegations as well as reaffirming that ALL Studio's, teams, individuals and importantly, the leaders will be 'expected' to be committed to the same standard of inclusion and equality for ALL and if not, they will be dealt with accordingly.

That statement alone told me Bobby Kotick had NO future in any capacity within the Microsoft organisation. As soon as MS were in a position to 'fire' him as his 'boss', he would be out. MS made it very clear before buying they were upset by these allegations and maybe why they were willing to buy - not only for those IP's, but to be 'proactive' in making a change.

@isturbo1984 I care more about the people making the game than the entitled gamer as well tbh.

@Sakisa That's the difference between me and those like you and icomma... I care about both, you guys seem to just care about one group as people. I never said I cared more about one group over the other. I said what I cared about what Microsoft can do, regarding Phil's statement. So please, save me the virtue signal. I already got called a "mYs0gynIsT" already in a different article because I said I was hating on Bobby before it was cool. I'm not in the mood, lol.

@isturbo1984 Well looking at your post history and the rhetoric you use is I’d say they were on point calling you a misogynist, or that you at least come off as one, but even getting away from that your first comment on this article was you saying you care more about what Microsoft can do for you and the consumer than the employees putting up with a toxic work culture, so you certainly don’t come off as caring about both groups.

@Sakisa Because you are a rude, nonsensical, silly boy who floats around and buys farts in jars. That's why you make up polka-dot socks on a Wednesday rules that paints people who see things from a different point of view as you as "ists" and "phobes." Now would you kindly harass someone else please? Next time you interact with me, do it without the name calling. Preferably with some manners too.

If people care about the employees of the companies that make the products they use, maybe they can look into the sweatshops in China producing their games consoles or even the gruelling work conditions in Japan where the culture demands a lot more from its staff.

@icomma
Some of the worst human suffering on earth and modern Uighur slavery to make your games console/tech vs a fratboy bro culture at Activision. Why do you think there is such a vast difference in the reporting, coverage and public response to each? It’s the equivalent of witnessing a natural disaster that displaces hundreds of thousands of people and then worrying about how some international popstar is going to be able to play their concert in that area.

So Phil talks all the time with Bobby ,they've always had a good connection with Activision blizzard...

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people in the past at Microsoft that were a big part of influencing positive workplace culture and I know they put a lot of heart and soul into what they do.

@CaptainCluck no offense but it’s a little hard fix sweat shops in China when your own house needs cleaning, don’t you think? As woman who lives in the US, of course I’m going to upset at working conditions in my literal backyard.

So maybe before making strawman arguments, you think before posting?